McGee gives Cavaliers offense spark

September 11, 2012|Reuters

The Sports Xchange

NCAAF Team Report - Virginia - INSIDE SLANT

Is Jake McGee the next Heath Miller? Like Miller, McGee played the quarterback position in high school. Not long after McGee arrived at Virginia last year as a true freshman, he went to the coaches and requested to change positions to tight end.

Miller, who made the same conversion, left the Cavaliers as the most prolific tight end in both team and ACC history -- and he's been plying his craft in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers ever since. It's way too early to anoint McGee as matching all those exploits, but no one can deny the impact he's made on the Virginia offense.

In the Cavaliers' season opener against Richmond, McGee made a spectacular one-handed catch that even had Virginia coach Mike London saying wow in the postgame media briefing. McGee also loomed large in clutch time one week later against Penn State, making a big grab over the middle of the field to prolong the drive and then capping the possession by snaring a touchdown pass from Michael Rocco that accounted for the deciding points with about 90 seconds left in the ballgame.

"I'm very, very proud of Jake for being a selfless player, and when he's called upon, a lot of times he delivers," London said following last week's game against Penn State, a 17-16 Virginia victory.

Count on McGee to continue to be called upon as the season progresses, and especially this week. Virginia opens its ACC docket with a trip to face Georgia Tech. It's the first time the Cavaliers played their ACC opener and road opener simultaneously since 2002, when they suffered a 40-19 thumping at the hands of Florida State in Tallahassee.

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NCAAF Team Report - Virginia - NOTES, QUOTES

--Is Virginia set on shuffling quarterbacks again? Last season, the Cavaliers rotated Michael Rocco and David Watford at QB -- sometimes as part of a scripted plan, and sometimes. Results were mixed while the rotation was in place, but after giving Rocco sole control of the position, Virginia won four of its final five regular-season games.

Watford appears headed for a redshirt but Alabama transfer Phillip Sims arrived over the offseason and coach Mike London is set on getting him playing time while keeping Rocco as the starter.

"The quarterback situation, it is what it is," London told reporters Monday. "Michael is the starter. And we're in a situation where we would like to be able to fill up some reps in a game -- heaven forbid that something happens to Michael -- with the next guy (Sims) in the game so he has had snaps in games. He got snaps in the game at Richmond because we were ahead, and then an opportunity presented itself for two series this game (against Penn State)."

--Virginia's been preparing to face Georgia Tech, and the tricky triple-option offense wielded by Yellow Jackets coach Paul Johnson, for quite some time. The Cavaliers spent some time working on the triple option during spring practice as well as preseason camp. LB Steve Greer and some of the other veterans on the team even organized walk-throughs for the defense on how to stop the triple option as players-only workouts over the summer.

--Two Virginia players won ACC honors coming out of the 17-16 win over Penn State. LT Oday Aboushi was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week after grading out at 92 percent and registering 12 knockdown blocks against the Nittany Lions. LB Steve Greer won ACC Linebacker of the Week honors, after posting a career-high 15 tackles and matching his career high in sacks with two.

Aboushi has won the ACC lineman honor four times, while Greer has claimed two ACC weekly accolades.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Virginia had a pretty stout rushing offense last season but was averaging only 3.2 yards per carry through its first two games in 2012. Virginia had to replace its entire interior offensive line, but coach Mike London said on his latest teleconference on Sunday he isn't pondering any lineup changes -- yet.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Virginia is the only team in the ACC that has yet to force a single turnover through the first two weeks of the season. The Cavaliers got two sacks against Penn State and generated consistent pressure on the Nittany Lions.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think we kind of like going on the road. It kind of creates a sense of unity on the team. We kind of bond together and get in, get the job done and get out. That's our mentality, and I think we need to have that again throughout this season in order to be successful on the road." -- MLB Steve Greer.